In November, the Canada Council for the Arts released its latest open data set about its operations and funding, Stats and Stories 2017. The open data contains “detailed breakdowns of funding, five-year trends, data tables and stories about what artists, groups and arts organizations did with their grants.”

The Canada Council committed to regularly posting new data sets for public use in 2016, in an effort to make funding information for and about the arts ecosystem more accessible and transparent to Canadian artists and arts organizations.

Stats and Stories 2017 is designed to give a detailed profile of the Council’s operations and track its impact on the arts in Canada. The data overview, available at canadacouncil.ca/research/stats-and-stories, includes a breakdown of funding by program or division, by field of practice, and by province or territory.

There is also a five-year trend report on total grant amounts, with total funding for 2017–18 at over $205 million, up from $184 million in 2016–17.

In 2017–18, grants were received in 600 communities across Canada, and over $10 million—about 5%—went specifically to the field of Indigenous Arts.

Data tables are also available at canadacouncil.ca/research/data-tables for each of the last four fiscal years, beginning in 2014–15. This database offers detailed statistical data on funding recipients and the Council’s activities. A “Corporate Scorecard” for each year breaks down the Canada Council’s practices, applications and funding, and general information on recipients and assessors. You can also download information on the Council’s methodology in gathering and analyzing the data.

The Canada Council’s research department has focused on refining its data sharing and reporting practices so that arts organizations and artists can easily access and make use of the data. These new open data sets are an opportunity to help make sure the Council remains accountable to the community that it serves, and to compare the actual data on funding against the needs, objectives, and other data sets in our sector.

Visit canadacouncil.ca/research/stats-and-stories for more information, and to share your feedback with the Canada Council.

For more information:

Brianne DiAngelo
Director, Communications
bdiangelo@magazinescanada.ca